Senior Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy used the stage at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest to draw sharp red lines against extremism, conspiracy theories and personal attacks within the American conservative
movement, as internal divisions spilt into public view.
Ramaswamy forcefully condemned personal attacks directed at JD Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, responding to online abuse aimed at the second lady.
“If you call the second lady of the United States of America a Jeet, you have no place in the future of the conservative movement,” he said, drawing loud applause.
Vivek: “If you call Usha Vance, the second lady of the United States of America, a ‘jeet,’ you have no place in the future of the conservative movement.”
It’s amazing how this is way clearer than anything Vance has ever said to defend his wife. pic.twitter.com/4sAf04yxVp
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) December 20, 2025
Addressing the crowd, Ramaswamy warned that the movement risked losing moral and political credibility if it failed to confront extremist rhetoric head-on. Referring to online commentator Nick Fuentes, he said anyone who glorifies Adolf Hitler has “no place in the future of the conservative movement.”
“Anyone who engages in that kind of rhetoric has no place in the conservative movement,” he added. “And if you can’t say these things clearly and without hesitation, you have no place as a leader at any level certainly not in my state of Ohio.”
Ramaswamy also criticised what he described as the “heritage American” ideology, arguing that it fundamentally misrepresents American identity. He said such thinking would imply that President Joe Biden is “more American” than Donald Trump, the son of an immigrant, or that Senator Bernie Sanders is “more American” than Bernie Moreno, who immigrated to the United States from Colombia.
By the same logic, he added, Elizabeth Warren would be considered “more American” than Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents were immigrants.
“All of this is utterly loony,” he said. “An American citizen is an American, period.”
The remarks came amid heightened tensions triggered by viral online rumours involving senior Republican figures. In the days leading up to the convention, social media was awash with unsubstantiated speculation about a rift between JD Vance and Usha Vance, including claims of a possible divorce and allegations of an affair involving Erika Kirk, who now heads Turning Point USA following the assassination of her husband and the organisation’s founder, Charlie Kirk.
The rumours were fuelled by a viral image of Erika Kirk hugging the vice president at Charlie Kirk’s funeral, as well as renewed scrutiny of past remarks by Vance in which he said he would “prefer” if his wife converted to Christianity. The speculation prompted a surge of conspiracy-driven commentary online.
Neither the Vance family nor Erika Kirk have substantiated or acknowledged the claims.
